The Family History Sunday School Class

The Temple and Family History Course is a beginning-level class designed to help Church members start their family history research and perform temple ordinances for their ancestors.

The doctrines related to temple and family history work provide the foundation for the lessons. Individuals who are already engaged in temple and family history work can also benefit from the course by learning about additional resources that are available.

Before you proceed with your Family History Sunday School Class, please review this brief video on Principles for Successful Family History Classes. It offers excellent insights on preceding the class with individual hands-on workshops for the ward members.

Joseph Smith – “The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead.”

Seeking out our deceased ancestors and performing temple ordinances for them is easier than ever before.

Hold computer workshops during Sunday School to help people actually do their family history

– help members get excited about family history

– achieve early success

– continue the work in their own homes

Key FH Class Success Factors

1. Learn by doing

– make family history a hands-on experience

– help members have a hands-on success by actually doing the work

– teach computer workshops instead of lectures

– hold computer workshops during Sunday School time or other convenient time

– help members have quick success

– give them practical experience in actually doing family history work

– have them practice on the computer

2. Help class members get started

One helper for every 2 class members is about the right ratio

Help them:

– register on the new FamilySearch website

– check, correct and add information to the family pedigree

– find and reserve temple ordinances

– scan the icons to see which ones are ready — look for the green arrows!

– give them a handout of the icons on the website

– also go laterally and do the work for your ancestors’ brothers and sisters (and their families)

3. Encourage class members to teach others the same process

– to share what they’ve learned with others — and to teach others to follow the same process

– success breeds success

– parents can encourage children, teenagers can tutor adults

When members come to the Sunday School class and have an experience and find a name, when the class ended they began calling our family history consultants and began asking them to come to their home and help

Family history and temple work bring joy to those who engage in it — and salvation to their kindred dead.